WELCOME!

We, at the Emotion & Behavior Lab, are interested in applying affective
science technologies to understanding externalizing disorders, emotional
deficits or excesses, and dysregulated traits in adults and adolescents.
Syndromes of interest include psychopathy, aggression, criminality, personality
disorders (e.g., borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic), impulsive
suicide, and substance use. Our main goal is to identify risk factors
for these problems, including understanding how genes, stress/adversity,
hormones, personality traits, and brain activity contribute to their development.

How Do We Study It?

We conduct studies that provide information on biological and psychosocial
risk for externalizing problems, disinhibition, and dysregulated traits
and examine the role of emotional and cognitive processes on antisocial
and aggressive tendencies. Lab members use a variety of experimental methods
(diagnostic assessments, laboratory studies) and measures (genes, hormones,
behavior, brain activity, etc.) to study why individuals have problems
controlling their emotions and behavior. Lab members are also trained
to administer and/or conduct ratings on the Structured Clinical Interview
for DSM-IV (SCID) and the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL), as well as other
assessments instruments (e.g., Timeline Follow-Back, Personality Disorders
Interview).